This fragrant risotto was so delicious that I went back for seconds and thirds and then made it again the very next day. Even now I am fighting the urge to make more. One minor adjustment and I could eat this every day until I die of the inevitable heart attack. A local restaurant makes a risotto that is brought to the table in a enormous wedge of parmesan. As the server stirs, the risotto is crammed with cheese, and then when portions are doled out, you are offered a sprinkling of even more cheese if you like. If someone were to buy me a giant wedge of parmesan, I would never leave my house again. By which I mean I will soon grow too fat to fit through the door. But don’t let that deter you from being a generous person and making a dream come true.

Mushroom Risotto

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 bunch green onion, finely chopped
6 oz crimini mushrooms
6 oz Arborio rice
2 oz white wine
2.5 cups chicken stock, heated
heavy cream
3 oz (or more!) grated parmesan cheese

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the green onions and mushrooms and cook until soft, stirring often. Add the rice and stir until translucent.

Add the wine and stir until it is cooked off. Add about a cup of chicken stock, stirring frequently until it is absorbed. Add the remainder of the stock a half cup at a time, stirring until all the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Continue until the rice is tender but still firm, approximately 20 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of heavy cream and the parmesan cheese and remove from heat. Stir until combined and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Although not a native Californian, I have apparently lived here for too long, as I immediately fell into a melancholia that did not lift until the sun reappeared today. I was not alone in this. Traffic jams were abundant, people fled the streets and the dogs steadfastly refused to go to the bathroom lest a single droplet of water moisten their pretty little heads.

Yes. This dog.

And this dog.

Afraid of the mild drizzle that plagued Southern California for over 48 hours.

In fact, I had an idea for a post about how bizarre and inconsistent their attitudes were towards water but I was feeling too bleh to actually finish it.

It was only the guilt of posting a double-down challenge last week for Couch-to-5k that persuaded me to leave the house and complete my jog.

Therefore it should come as no surprise that my culinary escapades have been less than spectacular of late. The vast majority of what I consumed would be more accurately termed “calories” than actual food. It was only with a fair bit of luck that I was able to make an actual meal, and even then, it was only the second time I made it that I was able to get a decent picture so I could blog about it.

This is not the prettiest pasta in the world, but it’s pretty fast to put together if you know the steps, and it’s delicious and filling and great for a rainy day. I’ve been meaning to make this for a while because Bridget ranked it among her top ten recipes for 2008 and she knows her way around a kitchen. I happened to have walnuts leftover from the cookie swap and an overgrown basil plant in the front yard so I managed to overcome the desire to dump some sauce from a jar on top of some pasta and actually made a meal.

Salmon Pesto Pasta adapted from The Way the Cookie Crumbles
These quantities are approximate and you have a ton of wiggle room

Pesto

¼ heaping cup walnuts, toasted
10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
2 cups packed fresh basil
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
copious amounts of parmesan cheese

Toast the garlic in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant and cloves just begin to soften, about 7 minutes. I like to cheat and toast the walnuts in the same pan to speed things up. Walnut pieces take about 4-5 minutes to toast so wait the appropriate amount of time and just add the walnuts in. Peel the garlic and add it to a food processor along with the toasted walnuts. Pulse until finely chopped. Bruise the basil leaves and toss them in along with the oil and salt. Process until you achieve a …well, pesto-like consistency. Mix in the cheese and add more salt as needed.

Pasta

8 ounces pasta
12 ounces salmon
salt and pepper
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 ounces heavy cream
½ cup pesto
grated parmesan cheese

Everyone knows how to cook pasta right? As you’re waiting for that to happen, season the salmon with salt, pepper, lemon zest, and olive oil. Lay it skin side down a baking pan lined with aluminum foil and broil about 8 minutes or until flesh is firm and no long translucent. Sprinkle the salmon with the lemon juice and use a fork to flake it into bite sized chunks.

By this time the pasta should be done, so drain it and set it aside. Pour the heavy cream into an empty pot until heated and then add in the cooked pasta. When the cream starts to coat the pasta, add the pesto and stir until combined. Add the salmon to the mixture, stir, and remove from heat. Top liberally with more parmesan cheese and serve warm.